Taliban fighters pose for a photograph while raising the militant group’s flag at the provincial governor’s house, in Ghazni, southeastern Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2021. AP/PTI
Afghanistan crisis LIVE updates: Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgents entered Kabul on Sunday after virtually surrounding the city from all sides. Word of their arrival spread like wildfire, and the city panicked. There were traffic snarls everywhere, and people rushed home to stock up on essentials, withdrawing money from banks. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country in the afternoon, as most western nations evacuated their embassies, or relocated them closer to the airport.
Meanwhile, India is gearing up to evacuate hundreds of its officials and citizens from Kabul. It is learnt that a fleet of C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force is kept on standby to undertake evacuation missions.